I Ching, Yijing or Zhou Yi
"Oracle of the moon": © 2000 LiSe
Yi Jing, Oracle of the Moon
There is an old European oracle in which the figures are tetragrams: they consist of four lines, each of one or two dots. 'Even' and 'uneven'. They are built up from top to bottom. Anything which will yield even and odd numbers or whatever else which can be seen as even or odd can be used for obtaining a tetragram. A dice, a handful of beans which you count, a coin for which you decide if heads or tails is odd or even.
The 'official' way of asking the oracle is quite complicated, making use of 16 tetragrams, from which one judge is finally derived, but I think simply obtaining one tetragram also gives a valid answer.
VIA (road): neutral tetragram.
Travels, change or changeability, poverty, simplicity, trees, rivers and anything which has to do with water. The moon, especially the waxing moon belong to Via.
Travels, change or changeability, poverty, simplicity, trees, rivers and anything which has to do with water. The moon, especially the waxing moon belong to Via.
POPULUS (the people): neutral.
Waning moon, masses, army, lakes, seas, forests, herbs, dark and lonely places and markets. Hospitality, good with good, evil with evil.
Waning moon, masses, army, lakes, seas, forests, herbs, dark and lonely places and markets. Hospitality, good with good, evil with evil.
CONJUNCTIO (union): Fairly good tetragram.
Social contact, reading and writing, a bit colorless, easily assimilating both good or bad.
Social contact, reading and writing, a bit colorless, easily assimilating both good or bad.
CARCER (dungeon): Prison, cell, lock in.
A restricting tetragram but not always bad, depending on the question. Mourning, sadness, grave, everything black or heavy. Obstruction.
A restricting tetragram but not always bad, depending on the question. Mourning, sadness, grave, everything black or heavy. Obstruction.
FORTUNA MAJOR (Great good fortune): big good luck, much success, help and protection from the inside.
Very positive tetragram. Good health, magnanimity, honesty, ambition, good position, happiness, honor and acquiring one's wishes. Belongs to the daytime sun.
Very positive tetragram. Good health, magnanimity, honesty, ambition, good position, happiness, honor and acquiring one's wishes. Belongs to the daytime sun.
FORTUNA MINOR (small good fortune): Little luck, help or protection from the outside. Timidity.
Bad tetragram, but not everyone agrees it is. Devoutness, audacity, pride, generosity, good proceeding, enter duties with high lords. Belongs to the nighttime sun.
Bad tetragram, but not everyone agrees it is. Devoutness, audacity, pride, generosity, good proceeding, enter duties with high lords. Belongs to the nighttime sun.
ALBUS (white) symbolizes wisdom.
A good tetragram which gives insight, a clear mind and peacefulness. It gives many friends but is not good at maintaining friendships. Everything white and clear. Very good for new ventures.
A good tetragram which gives insight, a clear mind and peacefulness. It gives many friends but is not good at maintaining friendships. Everything white and clear. Very good for new ventures.
RUBEUS (red or red head) inflammability, passion, fiery and fierce.
Bad tetragram, especially the bad sides of sex and violence belong to it. War, dying, discourteousness, courage and everything red and sharp.
Bad tetragram, especially the bad sides of sex and violence belong to it. War, dying, discourteousness, courage and everything red and sharp.
PUER (boy), impetuosity, thoughtlessness. Some saw this tetragram as "a bit more good than bad", others the opposite. It gets very much infuenced by nearby tetragrams in a reading. Cruelty, spurting anger, loss of honor or marriage, stubbornness. But also: exellent for everything concerning war and love.
PUELLA (girl), A friendly tetragram, but little success. It gives beauty and nice relations, especially with women. She is not always loyal. Pleasure, sometimes lechery or prostitution.
LAETITIA (joy), a good trigram, indicating joy, health and cheerfulness. Very friendly. Wealth, a long life, virtuousness. Intelligent in most matters, and success in legal and mental affairs.
TRISTITIA (sadness), a bad tetragram. Worries, sadness, low spirits, being without faith or trust or religion. Hidden damage or deficiency, poverty, subordination, weakness. Rejection, condemnation. Only positive meaning could be perseverance.
ACQUISITIO (increase), a good tetragram, indicating increase in all ways. Material prosperity, gain and advantage, finding or receiving back what was lost, love of beautiful things. Health, influence, progress, success in the position of prelate or in legal matters.
AMISSIO (loss), not a good tetragram. It is about everything which was taken away, and what you expect or wanted, it did not come. But for leaving yourself (divorce, discharge) its meaning got softer and more fortunate. Also changes for the better or for worse, and loss of honor and possessions.
CAPUT DRACONIS (astrol. dragon head), very positive tetragram. The higher (or highest) kingdom, crossing the threshold, coming in. Purity, honorability, good will, faithfulness, courage. It shows your goal, your inner growth, the future you are heading towards. The highest kingdom means that you pass your inner barriers.
CAUDA DRACONIS (astrol. dragon tail), less luck, leaving, the 'lower kingdom', bad feelings, fright, the evil, frivolity, secret damage or harm. Good for finishing current affairs but still danger of troubles, a bad reputation, disagreement. Sometimes this tetragram is described as "good for the bad". The line of least resistance.
"Oude Europese voorspelkunst" door Karen Hamaker-Zondag.
Uitg.
Schors, 1981, ISBN 90 6378 075 3